


It's been three years

by Babsroe



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 11:18:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6077397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babsroe/pseuds/Babsroe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renowned arch-rivals, Merlin and Arthur. Three years of pranking, more pranking and endless bickering leaves everybody thinking that neither could have a civil conversation even if it would save their lives. They are so, so wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's been three years

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and am not profiting off this work.
> 
> This is really shitty and I'm really sorry for anyone who reads this. I just seem to churn out shit 1000 word one shots every couple of months hoping people will like it.

Arthur and Merlin, renowned arch-rivals of the school. This comes with all of the usual traits of course. Harassing, bickering, pranking. Everything enemies usually do, I suppose. A normal day at Camelot contains the continuing routine of loud comments in the middle of the dining hall, the promise of a fight that never comes. And every day in the middle of the lighthearted chivalry both parties disappear from the room, not to be seen until fourth lesson begins.  

Three years of this has lead all of the students to believe that these rivals could not have a civil conversation if their lives depended on it. This, however, is wrong. So, so wrong.  

It's a Wednesday, and as a usual Wednesday goes, at registration there is a prank, normally at Merlin's expense. Then there are the class debates, at Arthurs. There's the mockery in the hall as the pass one another to get to class, the ever attempted but never successful trip up in the hall on the way to their third classes, and then it's lunch. Where they both sit in the dinner hall shouting things back and forth to each other, throwing bits of food until the glare of the dinner lady is too much to bear, and then they will both disappear.  

Merlin has just fled the dining hall when a tall, gruff man walked over to the table Merlin previously sat at.  

"Guinevere." The man says.  

"Oh, Mr. Kilgarrah." Gwen says, looking up at him. "Can I help you?"  

Kilgarrah nods once, "You don't happen to know where Merlin is?" He asks.  

Gwen shakes her head and frowns slightly. "No, in fact, you just missed him. Would you like me to go and look for him?"  

"If you would be so kind, thank you Guinevere, send him to my office when you do."  

Gwen nodded and excused herself from the table to go and find her friend.  

Gwen looked to all of the places she would have expected him to be and was just about to give up her search when she saw movement from behind the sports hall. Sighing she made her way down the steps and rounded the building, stopping in shock at what she saw.  

Arthur had Merlin pressed against the wall, their lips sliding together heatedly as Merlin tugged on Arthur's hair.  

She almost turned around to leave when she remembered the reason she was there in the first place. "Um." She said hesitantly and both Arthur and Merlin jumped apart, though one of Merlin's hands was still clutching Arthur's jacket.  

"Gwen-" Merlin started. 

"Kilgarrah wants to see you." Gwen stuttered, backing away sheepishly, "I didn't mean to, um, disturb you Merlin, shall I tell him you're busy?"  

"No." Merlin insisted, "I'll go just, wait for me yeah? There's something we have to talk about." 

Arthur, who looked rather annoyed to be disrupted, watched as Gwen nodded and rounded the corner again. Turning to Merlin he started to push him back against the wall with a, "shall we?" Before Merlin stopped him wIth a firm hand of his chest.  

"No, really I gotta go."  

Arthur made a defiant sound in the back of his throat but he moved out of the way. Tugging him forwards with the hand on his jacket Merlin kissed Arthur once, whispering "Stay here." And with a wink he was gone, leaving Arthur leaning against the building alone. 

When Merlin walked around the corner, hands flattening his hair, he saw as Gwen turned three shades redder. "Gwen," Merlin started, "about what you just saw-"  

"No, honestly, it's none of my business." She said, turning to walk with Merlin to Kilgarrah's office.  

"It just happened." Merlin continued, pushing into the school once more.  

"When?" She asked.  

Merlin shrugged, sighing as they came to the office door. "Last year." He said, knocking three times on the old wood. There was no reply. Sighing, Merlin knocked again and again but there was no answer. 

"That's funny." Gwen said, "he said he would be here."  

Shrugging, Merlin turned away and started walking back down the corridor. "It probably wasn't anything important anyway." He said as Gwen followed him back through the doors.  

"You're probably right." Gwen said, wringing her wrists between her fingers. "Merlin?" She said suddenly.  

"Yeah?"  

"Why did you not tell me about you and Arthur?" She asked.  

Merlin thought for a moment before answering. "I suppose I don't really know." He said finally, "I just... I think maybe it was the fact we had this reputation going on and, well. I don't know."  

Gwen nodded and, realising where Merlin was headed, decided to take her leave, smiling warmly at Merlin before she left.  

When Merlin reached the back of the building, he found Arthur still waiting, leaning against the wall, one foot rested against it.  

"Finally." Arthur said when he saw Merlin, pulling him in by the collar of his jacket, humming in satisfaction as he pressed Merlin back against the wall. "What took you so long?" He asked when he pulled away.  

Merlin shrugged, "Kilgarrah wasn't there." He said, pulling Arthur back in by his belt loops. Arthur's breath hitched softly before he regained his cool exterior.  

He hummed thoughtfully, brushing his lips ever so slightly over Merlin's, not quite touching. "Well it shouldn't have taken you so long then should it?"  

Merlin let out a shaky breath, moving his hands from Arthur's hips to his waist. "Suppose not." He answered, "Gwen wanted an explanation." 

"Couldn't have waited?"  

Merlin let out a quiet whine and shook his head, trying to pull Arthur forwards with the sheer force of his mind. It wasn't working. "She wanted to know stuff, just, get on with it." 

Arthur looked up thoughtfully for a moment, as if pondering what he should do next. Merlin nudged him, huffing out an impatient sigh. 

"C'mon." Merlin said, glancing at his watch. "We've only got 15 minutes and if you aren't gonna make them worth while then I'll just _mmph."_  

"You'll what?" Arthur asked, pulling back slightly, diving back in before Merlin could think of an answer, his mouth warm, the caress of his lips softer than Merlin expected. Or wanted at that point. He pushed forwards, deepening the kiss, only moving slightly with Arthur's advantage.  

He pulled back enough to mumble, "Or I'll leave." Against Arthur's lips before pressing back harder than before, teeth finding Arthur's plump lower lip.  

Arthur groaned, hands wandering under Merlin's shirt and trailing up his stomach. "This not good enough for you?" He breathed.  

"Maybe." Merlin retorted. "Make the next ten minutes the best of my life and we'll see about finishing this off at my place."  

"Don't be so cocky." Arthur scolded, "who says I wanna come back to your place to finish this off." At Merlin's hurt look he added, "who says I can't finish it off here."  

Merlin cocked an eyebrow, dragging Arthur back for a deep, lasting kiss. "Me." He answered finally, "because either I'm seeing things or that’s Percival and Gwaine heading this way."  

Arthur's eyes widened and he spun around to see Percy and Gwaine getting closer and closer at rapid speeds. "Looks like we're gonna need a new place to- Merlin?"  

*** 

Merlin had made it around the side of the building before anyone had seen him and he pulled his phone out of his pocket.  

 _'Looks like we're gonna need a new place to hang.'_ He sent. 

The bell rang, then and he slid his phone back into his pocket and made his way to his last class of the day. A few minutes into lesson his phone vibrated.  

 _'Sure does. Close call, where the hell did you get off to?'_  

And a second later.  

 _'Meet at the gate, if you're still on for tonight.'_  

*** 

"Looks like I'm good enough, then." Arthur said, startling Merlin as he came up behind him. Recovering, Merlin shrugged and started out of the gates, with Arthur falling into step next to him.  

"Thought I'd give you a chance before I kicked you to the curb." He answered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Arthur nudged him with his shoulder, a smirk of his own sliding onto his face.  

"Yeah you can carry on with that shit but you know you wouldn't _Mer_ lin, it's been three years."  

"Yeah." Merlin sighed, "a long, tiring- Ow."  

He glared at Arthur, rubbing his arm where Arthur had punched it.  

"If you would have let me finish," He snapped, "long, tiring, but the best three years of my entire life." He finished.  

Arthur stopped walking, Merlin carrying on a few paces before he realised Arthur was no longer next to him. "Arthur, wha-" 

"God I love you." Arthur burst out. Stuttering to a stop he clamped a hand over his mouth. When he didn’t show signs of moving Merlin grabbed his wrist, pulling him down the road and up the path into his house.  

When he shut the door he pressed Arthur into it, leaning in close. "You know," He started, "when this all started I didn't think feelings came into it."  

Arthur swallowed loudly, barely managing a whispered, "And now?" 

Instead of answering, Merlin leaned in, pressing his lips hard against Arthur's. Though that was the only answer needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. If anyone has any questions/prompts/wants to be my friend please drop by my (relatively shitty) Merlin blog, arthurpcndragcn.tumblr.com and leave me a message :)


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